VANGUARD
Neurodiversity Training
Presentations, courses, and live events available online
Client Voice: Shared with permission
“I was newly aware of being autistic before I started seeing this particular therapist. I was open about it, and it became clear that I was not being helped. I wish that she had taken the time to educate herself about autistic people because I think it set back my journey significantly. It made me question myself so much, when I should've been getting clarity and a way forward. I really wanted to be understood and supported. But I left in as much pain as I started. ”
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Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“As a trainee therapist I was really looking forward to different ways of supporting diverse clients. But my training fell far short. It makes me worry about the clients, and my fellow therapists out there. I wish that we had learned about the theories and practical ways of making therapy more accessible, inclusive, and actually useful for autistic clients. I have found Vanguard Neurodiversity Training now and straight away we affirm autistic identity, understand the lived experiences and discuss therapeutic approaches. Autistic people deserve therapists who affirm their experience. It’s what advocates have been saying for years. ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“It’s a blessing to find Vanguard Neurodiversity Training, who have neurodivergent trainers, supervisors, and course designers. I am unlearning the pathological narratives and deficit-based language so prevalent in our field so that I can do the work that is so needed and requested by neurodivergent people”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“Being autistic myself, I am appalled by the lack of ethical and legal training. Trainers and supervisors barely touch on autism, even today. And when they do it’s all “lack of empathy” this, and “socially awkward” that. I feel like I’m constantly, either having to bite my tongue, or correct misinformation. It perpetuates a lot of harm. I’ve found this training, now, at Vanguard Neurodiversity Training, and the ‘Neurodiversity Paradigm’ and ‘The Social Model of Disability’ are core principles, and it’s a relief that these realities don’t have to be argued, and we can get on with learning and perfecting our therapeutic work in the rest of the course. ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“Looking back are my core training 15 years ago, I can see now how therapy is designed from Neuronormative and Eurocentric bias. So many autistic clients have not been seen. We, therapists, were expecting inferred meaning from vague sentences, and silent open windows to cause reflexive emotional awareness in our autistic clients. That’s such a mistake when good therapy with autistic people is about being transparent and saying things explicitly. Group discussions around trauma responses of autistic adults, in light of Minority Stress awareness, was a pivotal moment in the course, for me, at Vanguard Neurodiversity Training ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“Therapy is such an interpersonally-intensive field, and as an autistic therapist I notice the impact on me. I’ve struggled with the emotional toll as I absorb everything very deeply and struggle to not take on clients pain as my own. However, I’ve realised that is one of my greatest strengths because I understand clients experiences on a visceral level. And the trainer here (at Vanguard Neurodiversity Training) recognised my passion to deeply committed therapy with other autistic people, and I now know how to value my ability to build deep trust and rapport with clients, and how to pick up relevant areas of the work while in session. The training here brings out more of who you already are.”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
“It’s a blessing to find Vanguard Neurodiversity Training. The trainers help us develop our approach based on a power-sharing therapeutic relationship, with responses and therapeutic choices made from a trauma-informed approach. The materials are packed with facts and client-work info, and there’s plenty of time for the group to talk, and there is a supervision group included as well. ”
Therapist Voice: Shared with permission
As a neurodivergent therapist, building community and finding support is so important. Moreover, getting access to professional development course that enrich your neurodiversity-affirming practices can feel a bit uphill, due to the scarcity of good training. Until I found Vanguard, I felt on my own navigating these experiences, with no help to further my insights. This training gives me direction in my work, as well as given me new purpose in my own self-discovery journey.”